D.C. judge releases pro-Trump lawyer Lambert, orders her back to Mich. – Detroit News
Stefanie Lambert, a lawyer who’s pushed unsubstantiated theories about the 2020 presidential election, was released Tuesday on a $10,000 bond after appearing in a Washington, D.C., courtroom on a charge of fugitive from justice.
Lambert was led into the District of Columbia Superior Court courtroom Tuesday wearing handcuffs, hours after she was taken into custody on a bench warrant by U.S. Marshals inside a federal courtroom in Washington, where she was representing Patrick Byrne, former chief executive officer of Overstock, in a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
Lambert told Magistrate Heide Herrmann, through her attorney, that she planned to drive back to Michigan Tuesday and turn herself in to authorities there. Herrmann set an extradition hearing for April 24 that Lambert will only have to attend if her warrant in Michigan isn’t cancelled.
Lambert’s bond was unsecured, meaning she’ll only have to post the money if she doesn’t comply with the bench warrant or doesn’t show up for her hearing.
The magistrate warned Lambert to turn herself in to Michigan officials as soon as possible.
“As long as there is still a warrant out for your arrest, you could be arrested over and over again,” Herrmann said.
More:Pro-Trump lawyer arrested on bench warrant in Washington, D.C.
Lambert’s arrest was based on a bench warrant out of Oakland County for failing to appear in a case in which she is facing several charges related to tampering with voting tabulators.
Kevin Irving, a federal community defense attorney, told the judge Lambert’s attorney in Michigan was attempting to clear up the bench warrant and a hearing on that matter was scheduled for next week. He said there was some “confusion” between herself and her attorney about the status of that effort.
“I don’t think it’s something she’s running away from,” Irving said.
Lambert, who’s made a name for herself among supporters of former President Donald Trump, is facing four felony charges in Oakland County based on allegations that she tampered with voting machines after the 2020 election. The charges include undue possession of a voting machine and willfully damaging a voting machine. Each charge would bring a prison term of up to five years.
Related:2,000 pages of ‘confidential’ Dominion emails dumped on social media
A bench warrant was issued for her arrest nearly two weeks ago because she failed to appear for a hearing related to the case.
Lambert had just concluded a Monday hearing in Byrne’s defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion in federal court when the judge ordered observers out of the courtroom, and U.S. Marshals entered to take her into custody.
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